Haddock's Favor
by TheRestIsRustAndStardust
Summary: When an old Navy buddy collects on a favor, Captain Haddock, Tintin and an innocent young child named Lorna are thrust into a chain of events beyond all their understanding. With lives at stake and a new member of the Marlinspike household to keep up with, will the Captain be able to cope?


_"I'm telling you, I can't give you the codes!" Jervis's voice rose at least three octaves, becoming desperate. Behind him, he heard, and felt, the dull thud of his head hitting the thin metal wall of the abandoned warehouse as two rough hands lifted him by the lapels. He let out a pained groan as his captor growled impatiently._

_"And why, praytell, DON'T you have the codes?!" The shadowed figure hissed sharply._

_"I-I'm not allowed to carry classified information off the work site, it's the rule! Everything I have, i-is-" Jervis cut himself off, realizing without a sound that he may have very well signed his own death warrant. The man grinned at him eerily, full of malice and pleasure._

_"Thank you, Jervis. I believe your help is no longer required."_

_There was a brief yelp and a lingering sound of metal flying from metal into something dull before everything went silent._

* * *

The whole incident started off in a relatively normal way, over a cup of hot coffee, during a lazy Sunday morning at Marlinspike Hall as a hazy blanket of snow drifted to the ground in a silent dance. Captain Archibald Haddock lay back in his chair, sighing contentedly. "You know, Tintin? I do believe there's nothing better in life than a cozy Sunday morning spent in your own home. No nasty surprises, no unpleasant little twists of fate. Just a cup of hot coffee, a newspaper, a good friend and a peaceful snowfall."

Tintin was sitting adjacent to the good captain, arms behind his head, eyes closed, taking in the peace of the new day. "You can say that again, Captain. Sometimes it's good just to sit back and relax." Snowy yipped in agreement at the boy's feet. Not but a few days ago, they were in the heart of the Amazon, chasing poachers who were illegally smuggling and selling endangered animals, and the week before that, they were in hot pursuit of a UFO sighting that turned out to be someone testing out a new type of military drone that they were sworn to keep secret. Things as of late had been very fast-paced and it was a pleasant change to be able to sit back and relax.

And of course, by all laws of happenstance, this is precisely when the doorbell rang.

"Blue barnacles," Haddock grumped softly, not wanting to get up. "The first time all month we get to relax and some interrupting ignoramus has to spoil it!" He cussed all the way to the door, flinging it open and grousing "Yes, what do you want?!"

Standing there looking up at him with huge hazel eyes was a young girl, maybe only ten years old, holding a suitcase. "Hello."

Captain Haddock's eyes widened enough to swallow his whole head. He immediately ceased his ranting and raving. "H-Hello there, young lady...", he said with an awkward gulp.

"M'name's Lorna, sir."

"Hello...Lorna. Can I ask what you're doing on my front porch on a Sunday morning with a suitcase?"

Lorna smiled politely. "Waiting for ye to let me in."

Haddock could have kicked himself. Fighting back the urge to go on another alliterative tirade, he stepped aside and ushered the child inside and shutting the door. "Captain, is everything alright out there? Who was at-?" Tintin entered the room, cut off by his own surprise at the little girl's sudden presence in the house.

"I'm Lorna.", the girl grinned with a light bounce, dark brown curls flopping wildly.

"What is she doing here?", Tintin asked Haddock.

The captain shrugged wildly. "It beats me! She just showed up out of nowhere!"

"Do you know her from anywhere?"

"Her face doesn't ring a bell."

"Then who is she?!"

"I don't know!"

"Excuse me," came Lorna's small voice.

"What?" They both responded at the same time, stopping to stare at the girl in unison.

Lorna calmly took a piece of paper out of her pocket. "My dad gave me this and a bus ticket a few nights ago. He said if he didn't come back by Saturday night to come here."

Haddock cautiously took the paper from the girl and read it slowly, gripping the paper tighter and tighter with each word;

_Archie-_

_It seems we've both come a long way since the Navy. I've read about your exploits in the paper and I have to say this isn't the kind of life I ever expected you to live. I'm very impressed with how your life's gone. You're a far different man from when I knew you, and I'm sorry to have fallen out of touch. I have to be brief, friend, because I know my days around here are numbered, and I haven't much time until they find me. You remember that favor you said you owed me back when we had first become friends? The one you said you would repay any time, any where, any way? I hate to collect old debts, but I have nowhere else to turn. Nowhere is safe for me to go. The girl who handed you this note is my daughter. I have reason to believe that not only my life, but hers may be in danger. If anything happens to me, I want you to take care of her until I can safely return. I love her with all my heart and I wouldn't do this unless I believed it to be the right thing to do._

_Your old pal, Jervis Doughan. _

Haddock's face turned completely white and with a half-step backwards, he fainted.

_**A/N: Hello, readers! This is Kaylee here; this is my first story I've written after an incredibly long hiatus of nearly a year, as well as my first fanfic for The Adventures of Tintin. It's very dialogue heavy and goes into the story very quickly, as well as having a bit too much exposition, and for this I'm sorry. I promise you things will improve from here. The story was heavily inspired by the first episode of Darkwing Duck entitled "Darkly Dawns the Duck", and I feel need to say so in an attempt to give credit where due. Thank you very much, and enjoy!-Kaylee**_


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